


Bonkai Do Dungeons & Dragons

by NaturesParamour (ChestOfStories)



Category: Neverwinter, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fantasy, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-12 01:39:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4460378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChestOfStories/pseuds/NaturesParamour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: After a domestic spat of epic proportions, hell literally freezes over when Kai accidentally traps his roommate Bonnie and himself in an online fantasy game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KaiJest (ChestOfStories)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChestOfStories/gifts).



> A/N a.k.a Bonnie's foreword: This is a one-shot geek meet porn moment for me after Kai and I played NW and he frustrated the living hell out of me. Please take into account that this is fully AU, meant to be fun (and upbeat) and pretty much banterfest2015. Depending on demand, I might continue it. We'll see. ;)

# The Chamberpot Dilemma

"You know this was entirely your fault," Kai stated once they had secured the horses outside their shelter for the night.

"You're kidding me," Bonnie snapped as she pulled off her helmet, swiping a gloved hand over the slicked surface, clearing the gunk from the eyeholes and around the mouth piece.

"If you didn't insist on wearing that chamber pot on your head—"

"You mean the thing that protects my skull from being smashed in by one of those brutish animals out there?" Bonnie interjected with an incensed flash of pearly whites, hoping to shut him down.

He scoffed, unruffled by her retort. "You can afford better."

"Says the man with his hand in extra commissions."

"That's beside the point. I make the personal sacrifice. You don't."

She rolled her eyes to the heavens and ambled away from him, pushing aside the filthy tarp that acted as a door to their tent on the border of the small encampment in the center of the Ebon Downs. There were no immoderate Inn's around, no hot meals to be guzzled down or the luxury of a proper mattress at night to relax her sore and aching muscles. Kai didn't take too long to join her. And he hadn't taken the wide load of hint—her walking away—that their conversation on that topic was over.

"My point is, you have the means to enchant it, fade it from existence without it truly being gone and make things easier on yourself. On us."

"Us?" Bonnie echoed, dismissively dropping her helmet to the ground beside her bedroll.

"Precisely."

Bonnie threw him a mystified look over her shoulder, play-acting she had no idea what he was referring to.

"I'm not following. What does MY helmet have to do with you?"

"Did you zone out the part where you walked us dead-smack into a horde of heavy-duty cultists?" Kai all but sneered, tugging at the buckles that secured his armor to his upper body. "Also, it's distracting."

"Actually," Bonnie began, ignoring the latter of his commentary, attempting to make him see her side of the story and where THEY went wrong. He cut her short within the same inhalation.

"I almost died," he said in a tone that implied she should feel responsible and that all of this was in some way her fault. "I take that back—I did die."

"Only for a few seconds," Bonnie replied unsympathetically, bending to deposit her magical orb in her helmet for safekeeping. "Besides, I brought you back."

"You brought me back," he parroted, annoyed at her indifference to his adversity, too peeved to care about the small things or the fact that he was back in the land of the living. "You do know that in doing so I suffer a huge drawback that makes it easier for those things to kill me for good?"

"How can I forget?" she said with faux cheerfulness, flashing him a sarcastic smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Not that it's necessary, but I would like to point out that I'm not the one killing you. It comes with the territory." She combed a hand through her hair, grimacing as a tuft of fur still attached to a bit of flesh came away in her hand. Gross! She flicked it away. "You could try complaining less and show a little more appreciation."

"Appreciation? Appreciation for what? You're hardly doing your job."

Bonnie stiffened with implicit ire, wishing she possessed the means to knock him on his ass and that there wasn't some stupid non-violence invocation cast on them. He acknowledged his triumph in her body language, a self-satisfied smirk curving onto his mouth. 'Asshole,' she thought, making no attempt to hide her annoyance. "Fuck you," she said openly, abruptly peeling away the hard-wearing layers of clothes meant to protect her from injury. He laughed.

"Okay," he conceded after a lengthy silence and once he'd removed most his protective gear, his eyes perusing her semi-naked body adorned only in a pair of dull brown undergarments and socks. "I admit that was pushing it a bit far."

She further shut him out the only way she could in such close quarters, by wordlessly making use of the washbowl stored on one of their delivery crates.

"You do every so often help me out of a bad situation."

She filled the basin from a bucket they used to store the water they filtered from one of the numerous shallow ponds around the region.

"Not as effortlessly or gracefully as I envision," he continued, drawing closer, observing as she scrubbed at her face and body, trying to rid herself of the day's fight and his lasting frustration. "But—"

"Are you done?" Bonnie countered, rinsing her soapy hands in the cold water, cutting short his backhanded apology when she sensed his presence behind her. "I don't need you to give me a play by play of what I should be doing or how to heal people."

"I'm not telling you how to heal people. I'm telling you how I want you to heal me."

"You think you can do better? Then why don't you take over the healing department and wear my robes for a change!" Bonnie argued, splashing him with a substantial amount of dirtied water. "Why don't you heal me and the dozen or so other people around you all the while trying to dodge blood-thirsty monsters to keep from becoming a useless corpse?!"

He blinked, his mouth hanging agape slightly, water running down his handsome face in large uncomplimentary rivulets. Bonnie stilled when she realized what she'd done and the anger dissipated a touch. Neither spoke. Bonnie—under different circumstances—might have experienced guilt for letting her annoyance get the best of her, but this was not one of those times. She laughed.

"You think that's funny?" Kai questioned once he found his voice.

"No, no… of course not," she said between breathy titters as she backed away. The act itself wasn't that funny but for some reason she couldn't shut herself up. Overtired? Hysteria? He grabbed her wrist, preventing her retreat. She paused, mute, endeavoring to shake off his hand before meeting his eyes.

"If you hadn't noticed," she instigated, "I only just rinsed myself off." He had a particular look in his eye, one she'd come to know by heart: it told her she would pay for the petty recklessness.

"You're always telling me to come in close. To be within reach."

"When we're on the battlefield," she clarified, drawing out the last word.

He paid no mind and hauled her against his chest, sliding his hands up and down her sides, exploring the contours of her body as though it were the first time. She hated when he did that – detested how electrifying it felt.

"And we're not now?" he challenged with a lint of amusement, aware of what his touch did to her and the power he had over her – when he chose to wield it.

"No," she answered, fighting to keep from trembling beneath his dexterous hands and failing miserably. It was his turn to chuckle.

"You could have fooled me," he said, inclining his head to the left faintly and leaning in to have their lips meet. She braced her palms against his chest, momentarily halting what he was about to do and her body craved. His brows shot up in playful inquiry.

"You're an ass."

"And you love me for it," he agreed, sliding one of his hands into her hair, claiming her mouth in an intoxicating toe-curling kiss that further shutdown her remonstration. It didn't stop there – it never did and before long Bonnie was panting, supported against one of their many supply crates and being helped out of her dull colored panties. They were both smiling – one a little more smugly than the other.

"You can wipe that smug look off your face," Bonnie remarked, her smile widening a tad.

"And why would I care to do that?" he retorted with a leer.

"This isn't one of our daily missions. You didn't achieve anything here."

"Didn't I?"

"You caught me at a weak moment."

"More like decade," he quipped, chuckling, catching her foot as she made to nudge him.

"Is that your way of saying I'm easy?"

"Is that your way of saying you'd rather not participate in our extracurricular activities?" he asked, deliberately trailing his fingertips up along the inside of her legs, crawling his way to her aching center.

"No, not at all," she answered as his fingers grazed the outside of her femininity, making her shudder in anticipation. "It's my way of saying I could use this."

"Use what exactly? Tell me," he asked mischievously, grabbing a firm hold of her thighs to smoothly seat her on top of the crate, situating himself between her knees.

"You," she began, sliding her right hand from around his neck and down the length of his body, a light enticing smile on her lips. "Me." Her hand slipped into his breeches to take a hold of his cock. "This."

He groaned softly, peppering kisses against her shoulder, steadily making his way to her neck, his hands mimicking her keen efforts to feed their thirst for one another. Kai ripped the straps on her bra, disregarding her artless glare, silencing her flippant objection as his mouth found her left nipple, his left hand massaging at her right breast. He repeated the technique, switching each breast until she couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed him by the shoulder, her legs securing themselves around his waist, her right hand guiding the head of his cock where she most needed him. Inside her.

"You sure you don't want me to stop?" he asked, forestalling her desperate action, enjoying the look of frustration that graced her desire ridden face. If looks could kill. Bonnie opened her mouth to tell him not to fucking dare, when in a flash—and in reading her thoughts—he thrust into her, provoking a simultaneous moan from both of them. They stilled, taking a second to relish in their honeyed unity and then energetically fell into one another, quickly propelling their way to release.

Relief they pursued twice that night. And once more the morning.

"So," Kai began once they started to relax, his arm secured around Bonnie as she nuzzled into his side, her leg thrown across his hip, the two covered with a singular animal skin. "Does this mean you won't be wearing that godawful helmet anymore?"

"And give up on delightful fights of ours?" Bonnie replied sleepily, not bothering to open her eyes, her hand slowly making its way down to tease the expanse of skin beneath his navel. "Never."

Kai grinned and then slowly closed his eyes, too. The two swiftly drifting off to claim a few hours much needed sleep before their next siege and their next disagreement.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where her trouble started...

# Chapter One

_**A FEW WEEKS EARLIER IN SUNNY MYSTIC FALLS...** _

Bonnie unlocked the front door to the double story house she shared with the older pair of the Parker twins and Freya Mikaelson. She'd been away for a little over two weeks spending quality best friend time with Caroline Forbes at her father's fishing cabin in Crabtree Falls three hours away. They sunbathed, read various magazine columns on how to jumpstart your flailing life, went canoeing, hiking and made it their fourteen day mission to make up for lost time. They'd been separated for two years by family problems, doppelgänger concerns and inexplicable death. They needed the break. The trip itself had been refreshing, allowing them a chance to have a long chat about everything, to laugh and take a nostalgic jog down the memory lane. It hurt, it brought up insecurities and struggles, but it gave them the strength needed to get back to reality.

"Honey, I'm home!" Bonnie called out as a warning in case one or both of her exuberant flat mates were walking around naked. She'd been scarred enough times to know she needed to be cautious – no matter the time of day.

_No answer._

Jo was undoubtedly at the hospital. Not that Bonnie saw her much, anyway. In her free time Jo taste-tested cupcakes, read up on 'how to raise twins, get married and keep an ex-hunter on the straight and narrow' self-help guides and rescued stray pups from animal shelters. As if on cue, one such sprightly fur ball scampered into the foyer, tail wagging in greeting, an oversized Dorito's packet covering one half of his mouth.

"Drop it!" Bonnie chastised immediately, adopting her best mom tone and an equally firm finger. He swished his tail and took off. Bonnie shut the front door behind her, shrugged her clothes bag from her shoulder and dashed after Bonster, chasing him across the foyer and into the living room. She zeroed in on him as he tried to duck under a couch for cover, pulling him back by his tail, wrestling the trash from his between his teeth afraid he'd choke on the wrapping. He wriggled in her arm, sniffing the empty packet in her hand, slobbering on her fingers in hopes of getting the last of the crumbs. She set him down with a bit of strain and scowled when she noticed the overturned living room she was standing in.

There was a large keg placed against the far wall, CD's littering the coffee table and pushed to in front of their radio, shadowed by a half dozen or so empty glasses and colorful streamers. The place was a wreck, a meager replica of one of the very first frat parties she'd been to on campus a few months before she died for the umpteenth time. It was only when she noticed the bright oversized moustache and red devils horns drawn on one of her father's pictures—on the family wall—that she exploded.

Bonnie ripped the picture from its elected spot, rubbing the glass with the sleeve of her sweater, livid when she realized that the perpetrator had gone beyond the frame and straight onto the image itself.

Good thing she had a duplicate.

She set the crumpled chip packet down on the top of the TV stand and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time.

She checked Freya's room first. Her bed was made, her room spotless and unlived. Not that Bonnie assumed Freya had much to do with the mess as she barely had friends outside of the three of them. But then again, Bonnie could be wrong. Freya acquired a herbal shop to keep herself busy, something she tended to at all hours of the day. Who knew who she spoke to and how things were going? They hadn't caught up and talked for a while.

Bonnie burst through Kai's bedroom door next, expecting to find him temporarily dead to the world. He spent most his days at home, went out every other night and usually holed himself away to watch movies, play video games and everything you wouldn't expect from someone who'd escaped an eighteen year prison sentence. Why he even chose to stay in Mystic Falls when he had the chance to roam the world at his leisure—and enjoy it—was beyond her. But he did. And he appeared to be content.

Bonnie stood slightly open-mouthed and mute, watching as Kai's recognizable backside thrust into some unknown brunette – one that looked extraordinarily like Shelley Hennig. Not that she could properly tell in this light, but there had been a brief glimpse of her pleasure filled face. They seemed oblivious to her presence, unaware they were being studied or that their twosome had soared to threesome. Kai's eyes snapped open to contradict her thought and locked gazes over his shoulder with Bonnie's, an indecipherable smile touching the corner of his mouth. He didn't stop, didn't say anything and instead became more enthusiastic—or so it seemed from her frozen standpoint—in his keen rhythm, his companion's moans growing louder and more obnoxious. Bonnie quietly backtracked as if she hadn't been caught red-handed, hadn't been standing there gawking at the two like some nauseating voyeur. She shut the door behind her, trembling with a combination of anger, humiliation and a hint of arousal. She didn't know which she felt stronger and which upset her more.

She stomped her way back downstairs, grabbed her bag from the foyer and headed to her room to collect her running shoes, wasting no time in pulling them on and heading back out.

_She returned eight hours later. A little before nine PM._

* * *

 

Gratefully, when she walked back into the house, all was quiet and no one else appeared to be home. Kai must have gone out with his floozy. Freya and Jo were still at their individual jobs or doing something else. She spent the next hour cleaning the living room, cooking up some food for Bonster and sorting through her camping clothes. They'd only visited a laundry mat once on their time out there.

Kai returned sometime before midnight and found Bonnie on the basement floor opposite the machines surrounded by a piles of clothes, his and hers alike, a book on her crossed thighs and a beer on the floor beside her.

"Hungry?"

Bonnie looked up from her open book with a glower.

"No," she answered, dismissing him as she glanced back down at her lap. He didn't move, a slice of pizza in one hand a paper towel in the other. His eyes were burning a hole into her head. "Do you mind? You're making it hard to concentrate."

"Your hair's longer," he pointed out as if he hadn't heard the frustration in her tone. "I like it."

"It's called a weave," she retorted offhandedly, dismissing his compliment. He paid no mind and silently devoured his slice of pizza. She read the same sentence five times. The machine beeped, voicing its finalization. Bonnie slipped her bookmark between the pages, snapped the book shut, took a large gulp of her beer and finished it off before she stood.

Kai watched her transfer the clean dry clothes to the basket, the wet ones into the dryer and another dirty pile into the washing machine.

"Are you going to stand there gawking at me all night or offer me a hand?"

He arched a brow as if to ask 'what now' and saw her gesture to the new fabric softener on the top shelf in the open cupboard above the washer. It wasn't impossible for her to reach, but he suspected she wanted to give him something to do.

"Why are you even doing this now? It's late. Shouldn't you be out getting trashed?"

"I'm not eighteen anymore."

"You're not dead anymore, either," he said as he walked up behind her, unmindful of the way her body stiffened as he pressed himself up against her, his left hand rested on top of the counter for support, caging her in as he stretched to reach for the new bottle. Bonnie, too, gripped the counter with one hand, feeling a pulse of anticipatory heat shoot through her at the nearness, a brief image of his earlier activities springing to mind. For a split second, she could even imagine herself in the wonder girl's place. Dammit!

"Anything else I can do for you?" he asked in a tone belying her innocent request and giving more life to her wayward imaginings as he settled the bottle down in front of her.

"Yeah," Bonnie said, glad her voice hadn't failed her as she elbowed him, forcing him to back away and herself to release her death grip on the white counter top. "Personal space. Practice it."

"I've had space enough to last me a lifetime," Kai said, flashing her a charming smile as she turned to face him. Pity such a handsome face had to have such murderous tendencies.

"Where's Freya?"

"Freya?" he asked, his brows arching slightly in confusion.

" _Our roommate._ "

He rolled his eyes. He hated Bonnie's topic changes. "She's gone."

"Obviously. But where?"

"New Orleans."

"To do?"

"Do I look like her babysitter?"

Bonnie undid the new bottle cap, pouring the stipulated measure of liquid into the machine as needed and turned it on. She closed the washer door, collected her plastic glass and headed out. Kai picked her book up off the floor, smiling as he eyed the title, and followed her.

"So how do you like it?" Kai asked as he followed her into the living room, watching her refill her beer from the Keg his fuck buddy Marie arranged the night before. The party had been her idea.

"Like what?" she asked only a touch interested and wishing he was somewhere else. Or not.

"Mister Mercedes."

"Brady is fucked up."

Kai smirked. "Seems more like misunderstood to me."

Bonnie scoffed. "He needs therapy and a straightjacket."

"Or a self-righteous witch to keep him on the right set of tracks."

Bonnie didn't care to read into the comparison and turned away from him, sipping at her beer, scooping Bonster off the floor as she headed for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Bed."

"But it's only eleven!"

"And?"

"I'm not going to chase you around this house, Bennett."

"I never asked you to."

Kai followed her up the stairs, eyeing her back and the sway of her hips.

"You seem upset," he said once he reached his bedroom door. "I would have thought your vacation with your blonde vampire bestie would have put you in better spirits."

Bonnie paused as she neared her own room, turning back to regard him, her eyes narrowing. "I'm fine."

Kai stared at her, his lips curving knowingly. "You look it."

"I am _it_."

Bonnie inhaled, far more soundly than she realized as she stepped inside her bedroom.

"So you're F.I.N.E. Fucked up, insecure, neurotic and emotional."

Bonnie set Bonster down just other side her bedroom door, glancing over her shoulder as Kai disappeared into his. She could feel herself getting angry again. Of course she was angry! Didn't she have a right to be? She made her way back down the hall, sliding into his room uninvited a second time that day, ignoring the fact that in the few seconds it had taken her to cross the hallway he'd already shed his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt and made himself comfortable in front of his laptop. As if she needed to see any more of his skin today! It was bad enough she had his sculpted backside imprinted on her mind's eye.

"You want your book?" he asked without looking up from the screen he was logging into. "By the TV."

Bonnie continued to glare at him.

"At first I thought Damon might have upset you. But I'm assuming you're pissed at me?" He pushed away from the desk, using his legs to spin himself around in his chair to face her.

"Why would I be pissed? What do I have to be pissed about?"

He took all of a second to think about it. "I didn't know you were coming home today. It's not like we have a roster. What… you were expecting a parade or something?"

"No, I was expecting you to at least have your pants on!"

Kai arched a brow, "You've lost me."

"This is _my_ house."

"And this is _my_ bedroom, what's your point?"

"My point is…. Is… that I live here, too, and I don't appreciate—"

An amused smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, a look of perceptive mischief in his eye.

"You know what—forget it…"

Bonnie stormed off, collected her book off the adjacent dresser beneath the mounted flat screen TV and headed for the bedroom door when all of a sudden she bounced off thin air. She winced as she did, dazed by the unexpected propulsion.

"Let me out of here right now."

"You came to me, remember? _Twice_. The first time you ran away as if scalded."

"I didn't run," she defended, feeling her cheeks flush as his eyes dropped to her sneakers and sportswear she was currently adorning. "Not… in the way you mean—"

"Sure," he answered, not at all believing her.

Bonnie said nothing more and turned upon the door a second time, assuming that was it and he'd screwed with her for a second. She tried the doorway again. She still couldn't go anywhere.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Waiting," he said, fluidly turning himself around to face his laptop again.

"For what?" Bonnie asked sounding annoyed again, her eyes trained on his back.

"For you to admit that you're jealous."

"Wha—jealous? Me?"

Kai half turned to look at her, challenging her, optimistic that he'd seen the reflection of such an emotion in her eyes that morning or maybe he was just hopeful.

"I'm not jealous," she repeated beneath his silent scrutiny, drawing out the words as if he were slow.

Kai continued to stare at her in silence.

"I don't even like you. I tolerate you."

He scoffed. They both knew that was bullshit. Maybe in the past, but now, things had changed drastically. She fell asleep with him on the sofa, made out with him once or twice, and even allowed him to grope her. That, of course, had happened months ago, but still – it had happened.

"You wound me, Bonnie," he said, clutching at his heart in faux pain.

"Perfect," Bonnie snapped, tapping at the barrier. "Then let me go."

"If I could, I would have done so months ago."

"You seemed to be doing that quite enthusiastically from where I was standing."

Kai grinned. Ah-ha!

"Barrier. Down," Bonnie commanded, seeing the recognition in his eyes, kicking herself for her blunder.

"She meant nothing."

"Let me out of here."

Kai turned himself around completely and stood, ignoring her need to leave and how stiff she'd become – how defensive.

"We're not going steady, Bonnie."

"Kai. Let. Me. Out."

"You can't expect me to sit and patiently wait for you while you decide whether or not I'm on par with Damon's redeemable grade. I still have a few more people to murder."

"I'm not doing this… not today, not ever—"

Kai reached for the book, snatching it out of her hand, tossing it toward his unmade bed.

"Cesserimus!" she hissed, wiping the smug look of satisfaction off his face as he stumbled back, a shove that nearly sent him tumbling over his discarded roller chair. He managed to catch himself before landing on his ass.

"Testy."

"Conteram incantatores," Bonnie said even more forcefully, bringing a fist against the barrier. She retried over and over, repeating the incantation until finally turning on Kai again.

That didn't last long. A few broken collectables, a lamp and then unexpected darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Make me understand this...

# Chapter Two

Bonnie ached all over, her head feeling far heavier than normal as she woke up. She pressed a hand to her temples, a headache thump-thumping behind her closed eyelids.

Caroline and her cocktails are killing me!

She shrunk back, covering her eyes and face with her right arm as something wet landed on her cheeks, followed by a low groan that reminded Bonnie of one of their late night horror movies.

"Go away, Caroline."

Two wet hands clamped around her ankle.

"Five more freaking minutes," she groused, jerking her leg back, shivering softly. More groaning, these sounded far more unruly than the last. Bonnie was annoyed. "And could you turn off that TV! It's making me crazy—"

Bonnie opened her eyes to give her best friend the death glare of the century, only to meet two lifeless eyes attached to a similarly grayish looking body suspended over her.

Is that blood on his chin? Bits of flesh in his teeth?

Bonnie wasn't even aware that she was the one screaming until she was scrambling away, using her heels to awkwardly make an escape. The person followed her—slowly, but progressively. This was a nightmare! She pushed off the ground, stumbling as she did, bracing herself against a gravestone.

"Stay away from me!" Bonnie ordered as she whirled around to face her attacker. Was it early Halloween or something? Where the hell was Caroline? She looked around, expecting her blonde friend to be hovering nearby having a laugh at her expense. Caroline was nowhere in sight, nor was anything identifiable. Where the fuck was she?!

Another body caught her eye and was being zeroed in on by three other zombies. It took her awhile to make out who it was, but when she did, her heart stopped for half a second. Kai. The last hour came flooding back. Their fight, being trapped in his room and then blackness. Bonnie bent down, picking up a handful of rocks, throwing them first at her zombie and then the other two. It did nothing.

"Leave him alone!" she cried, their eyes averting to her like rabid animals. These weren't people and even if they were – the joke had gone too far. She extended a hand before her, her eyes blazing, her fear tampered down to give way to fury. "Motus!"

Nothing happened. He didn't budge, didn't go down or fly, and instead gripped her extended wrist. She screamed again in panic, wrestling against the weak person's hold, and curled a hand into a fist around the rocks. She brought it against the side of his head, disturbed that instead of crying out in pain—instead of ending his show and cussing her out—he kept advancing, kept trying to take a chunk out of her arm. She was blindly hitting him now, three, four, five hard blows that sent greenish mulch to spray into the air, coating her face and hair in a fine mist of the grossest liquid she'd ever smelled. Before long, his slithery fingers fell away and he keeled over in a poorly animated way and faded away. She was trembling as she turned to look at Kai and his own troubles. He was still out cold.

"Motus!" she repeated as if she'd been sure it would work this time, using her other hand to direct her magic at the zombies, they were upon him now, inches away from a free meal. "Phasmatus Incendia!"

Colorful magic jumped forth, shooting from her palm and body in a way that startled her and made her eyes widen. It hit one, then two and before long they were changing route, staggering toward her. More magic jumped from her hand, her mouth slightly open, and her voice gone. How was she doing that? The two keeled over, dropping to the ground only to fade as if they hadn't existed.

I need to cut down the midnight snacks. They obviously aren't working with me.

Bonnie rushed over to Kai, peering down at his unconscious face. He didn't look bloodied, he looked peaceful. She tried to slap him, hard. She couldn't, her hand swishing past his face by mere inches. She growled in frustration and tried again. And again. She eventually gave up, too tired to fight whatever was going on and sat down beside him in the dirt, her knees drawn to her chest, her back resting against a headstone so she didn't have to worry about those things coming from behind. A long few minutes ticked by, every sound and groan in the distance making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Kai awoke with a wheeze, cutting through the noise and time like a soothing balm.

"Oh good… you're not dead," Bonnie said, moving onto her knees to lean over him.

"Wha—What?" Kai began and opened his eyes, blinking up at her. "Bonnie?"

"One and only," she responded with a deep sigh, wiping of the gunk from her face, briefly darting a glance at her attire. She pulled at her clothes, wrinkling her nose with distaste. What was this?

"What's going on? Why are you—" he started, pushing himself off the ground on his elbows, his eyes darting around to take in their surroundings much like hers had. "Where the hell are we?"

"I figure it's a dream."

"What are you talking about?"

"The zombies."

"What zombies?" he asked, darting a quick look around as if to seek confirmation for himself.

"Well—" Bonnie said, looking around once more to point them out, shrugging lightly when she found none with which to make her point. "They went poof."

"Poof? How much have you been drinking?"

"Excuse me?"

"That beer."

"I didn't have that much."

"What the hell are you wearing?" he asked, scrutinizing her, and got up. Bonnie sighed. "You brought me to a cemetery. What, you plan on killing me out here?"

"What? No. I saved you."

"Right. The zombies… how could I forget? Oh, that's right—there are none."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and pushed off the ground, brushing her hands against her itchy attire. She gaped around her for a minute, taking in the monotonous landscape. How the heck had they even gotten here? Was the beer spiked?

"I think something went wrong."

"Explain," Kai said from his position at her feet, he looked winded, like he'd taken quite a knock. She extended a hand toward him. He took it, allowing her to help him to his feet.

"Maybe during our magic—"

"You mean your assault."

"I wasn't assaulting you!"

"You weren't braiding my hair, either."

"You wouldn't let me leave!"

"Because you wouldn't admit the truth."

"You're delusional—"

Kai scoffed. Bonnie endeavored to smack his chest to silence him and release her pent up agitation on him, frowning when she failed. Once again her hand glanced off his chest. Why did that keep happening? She tried again, gently this time, gripping his shoulder, running a hand down his chest.

"Not that I mind your groping me, Bonster, but what the hell are you doing?"

"N—Nothing," she retorted, brushing off his question to focus on the horizon again, purposely turning her back on him. She took a few steps away from him, tentatively at first and then with more confidence—as if she were driven by something inane. Where she was headed? She wasn't even sure.

"Are you going to tell me what you think is wrong or are you going to give me the silent treatment?"

"I'm undecided," she murmured, choosing to keep things to herself for the time being. She was starting to sound crazy even to herself; then again, this entire place was eerie.

Bonnie started down a hillside, her stomach lurching, the sounds of Kai's footsteps behind her echoing into the hollow and desolate night, mingling with that of a throng of moans and groans.

"I need to sit down," he stated from behind her, he'd been lagging slightly. She looked back, her brows creasing with concern at how sickly he looked. Had one of those things bitten him?

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Bonnie interjected, unable to contain her fear. They were exposed out here and what if those things attacked again? "We need to find shelter or—"

"There's none in this area," Kai stated. Bonnie turned to look at him. "We haven't come across any. And that—" he pointed to the hillside and the obvious dip, "—is probably a hundred foot drop."

Bonnie started back toward him, her eyes darting back and forth upon the landscape. Those zombies were everywhere, all around them, and she feared they might see them. Kai didn't look as phased or maybe he was just feeling too poorly to care.

"Check your bag," he said from his position on a flat rock, his arms resting on his knees.

"My what?"

"Your backpack."

"I don't have—"

He gestured to his shoulder, brushing at the similar strap on it she only just noticed. She rolled her shoulders, shrugging off the carrier, and dropped it to the ground at his feet, crouching to undo the tie on the top. She rummaged around inside it, pulling a few things out and opening the gap to try and see in the shabby moonlight. There were bottles of a red concoction, a handful of coins, a piece of bread, something like a flask of water and a map. There were other things, too, small swords, a matching sweater and a tacky looking pair of pants. Junk.

"What the hell is this?"

"Looks like berry Juice," Kai deliberated, gesticulating she toss the bag his way. She did and watched as he removed one of the red bottles from inside, screwing off the cap and prepared to drink it.

Bonnie was on him in an instant, her hand closing around his wrist to prevent him from taking a sip. "No!"

He looked at her with confusion but made no move to shake off her hand.

"You can't be sure its juice or anything drinkable."

"Bonnie—"

"No. It could be poison." She snatched the bottle out of his hand and screwed the cap back on.

He looked like he wanted to tell her she was being irrational but instead he smiled, grateful for her worry. Bonnie could scream from the rooftops that she didn't care, that he was nothing but a thorn in her side, and yet she was mothering him, protecting him from something unknown.

Bonnie, unaware of his thoughtful look unfolded the map she'd found, smoothing it on the ground, trying to gauge where they were. She struggled to make sense of it, her eyes darting to Kai to check up on him and then to the left to make sure they were okay when the sound of approaching hoof beats made her shudder.

"Someone's coming," she said, grasping the corners of the map to quickly fold it again. Kai, too, heard the noise and attempted to stand. She tucked the piece of paper into the top of her outfit against her breast, rushing to his side and watched as two riders darted past them, their horses prancing in the air, taking far bigger jumps than she'd ever imagined capable of an actual horse. Not that it mattered. They looked human.

"Wait!" Bonnie cried, charging away from Kai's side to give chase to stop them. It was as if they hadn't seen them, as if they didn't care to help them. "PLEASE, WAIT!"

They didn't stop, continuing on, their hooves becoming distant and faint, her eyes suddenly jerking to the horizon and the noise behind her. When she turned back, Kai was running around, greenish magic bouncing from his hands to embalm the creatures. That's why they hadn't stopped. Those things were chasing them. Bonnie rushed back toward him, picking up another rock, throwing it at one of the many zombies that had turned on him. For some reason they didn't care for her and kept attacking Kai, kept forcing him into a run. He was holding his own, but on the verge of collapse. How had she done it before? How had she made them poof?

"Phasmatus—" she started, extending her hand before her, "Incendia!"

Nothing happened. Not like before. Not even a stitch of fire. She shook her hand, drawing it back, and then thrust it forward again, growing aggravated, and then suddenly something jumped forth, shooting from her body when she saw one of those things drive Kai to his knees. All five of them dispersed and dropped dead.

"What the fuck is going on—" Bonnie said while trying to catch her breath.

Kai appeared better, refreshed almost, and as if that spur of magic—or whatever it was—had added color to his cheeks whereas it exterminated the creatures.

"Did the map have anything on it?" he asked.

"Nothing that made any sense to me," Bonnie responded.

"Here," he said walking toward her, briefly sliding his hand into her shirt where he'd seen her tuck the map for safekeeping before she did her mad run.

"Do you mind?" she barked, snubbing his grin as he removed the piece of paper and crouched, laying it out in front of her again. The cheerfulness faded from his face as he looked at the map. He shrugged off his bag, found a similar looking map and compared them. One looked more visible than the other. Bonnie's was still covered in dark patches while his was entirely revealed.

"This can't be—"

"What is it?" Bonnie asked, her voice sounding exposed, frightened of what he might have to tell her. "Kai, what's wrong?"

Kai rose to a standing, looking around, taking in the zombie that neared the edge of the hill but didn't come down. He'd been doing that since their arrival.

"Kai?" Bonnie began, taking a hold of his shoulder lightly.

"It isn't possible," he said in a disbelieving whisper. "We can't—"

"We can't what?"

Kai said nothing, much like she had earlier, and crouched, folding his map, slipping it back into his bag. He repeated the process with her map, handing her the bag. She took it and eased it on. He started back the way they'd come, following the path and direction she'd seen the horses disappear into.

"Where are we going?" Bonnie asked, sticking close to him and moving quickly, not wanting to gain any of those zombies' attention again.

"To get answers."

And how did he propose to do that, she wondered? Bonnie didn't ask, didn't give heed to her concerns for now, opting to remain quiet and to keep up to him for now, trusting he knew where they were going.


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you mean we're in a game?"

"I mean you fucked up big time."

"Me?" Bonnie spat, insulted by the accusation. "How is this my fault? How is that even possible?"

"Maybe if you weren't so quick to condemn me all the time—"

"Maybe if you didn't do questionable things I wouldn't have to judge you period," she chipped in.

Kai arched his brows with disbelief. Bonnie rolled her eyes and studied the few people scattered around the small encampment they were standing in. What was up with the depressing blue green lighting in this place? Could they make it anymore despairing? And what of these so called quests the non-playable-people were spitting at her every time she tried to talk to one of them. She'd asked them various questions, tried to steer the conversation in another direction but all she got was blah bitty blah blah blah dragons and stopping of rituals. She understood nothing, nor did she care to. It was infuriating. They spoke and spoke and spoke for what felt like hours, so much so that she'd drowned them out eventually, unable to hold onto the so called story for even a second to grasp what was going on. She'd even gone so far as to accept a task or two out of curiosity sake and as a means to shut them up. Not that it helped any, Bonnie still didn't know what was going on and the main gal no longer talked to her, a grey question mark dangling over her head like a ill-conceived crown.

"Besides," Bonnie amended, regarding him sternly, glaring at Kai as if to drive her point home. "I wasn't aiming for a disaster or taking a trip to another prison worldish nightmare with you."

Kai braced a hand against his chest, patting at the space above his heart in fictitious hurt, a pout on his lips. Bonnie sighed and moved to lean against the side of the carriage next to the merchant. People on horses, miniature dragons, oversized spiders and shudder-worthy globes of what looked like the grossest Jello came and went, but no one seemed to care enough to stop or talk to her however much she tried to gain their attention – it was as if they didn't see her at all.

"Maybe so, but you did something and now we're trapped."

"Trapped?" Bonnie echoed, her eyes wildly dancing around in search of proof. "How can we—"

"I don't see a big neon red sign saying EXIT THIS WAY, do you?"

"Then you did this," she accused.

"Me?" he parroted in the same manner she had some seconds ago, only he appeared amused by the notion and patiently waited for her to clarify.

"You're the almighty leader of the Gemini coven. If one of us possesses the juice to turn ourselves into some dawn of the dead horror sim in the making, it's you!"

Kai stared at her, a small smile of astonishment playing on his lips. "And why would I care to do that? Do you deem me so crazy that I'd exchange one prison, which I spent eighteen years dreaming of escaping, for another?"

Bonnie didn't answer, not immediately, a look of deep thought and uncertainty in her eyes.

"Forget it," she retorted and eased onto her haunches, running her hands through her hair in frustration in attempt to collect herself. She knew from experience that they could play this constant bicker game all day. They'd been doing it since they met.

Kai walked away. When she looked up from the ground, she caught a sight of him in front of the jam-packed merchant. She couldn't hear their exchange, couldn't see what he was doing while the two interconnected in some private tête-à-tête. Bonnie already knew it was a repetition of the same exchange over and over. She'd tested the theory on all of them and he'd told her as much. It looked surreal from an outside perspective but showcased how detached from reality they were – how alone.

Kai broke away from the chattering character and smiled as he walked toward her again. Bonnie held his gaze, finding his smile infectious, his face softening a degree or two.

"Here," he said as he lowered himself onto his haunches in front of her, a slice of watermelon appearing in his cupped hands as if by magic. He was still teaching her how to use her inventory, how to reach into the leather bag without doing it physically. He was adjusting far better than she was.

"What's this?" she asked, studying the piece of titillating looking fruit. Her foul mood slowly evaporating.

"A peace offering."

"They're out of chocolate?"

He grinned. "Can't say I've seen even a stitch of the stuff around here."

"We really are in hell," Bonnie said with a melodramatic sigh, bestowing him an appreciative smile.

His own widened a touch, his elbows coming to rest on his knees while he waited for her to take it.

"Is it safe?" she asked, taking a hold of the piece of fruit to examine it. It looked real enough, if not a little animated - like the fake fruit her grandmother had used to add color to the center of her kitchen table. Kai seemed to think it over. He'd assumed everything was up to scratch.

"Only one way to find out," he reasoned after a seconds deep thought, taking a gentle hold of her waist to draw her closer, her knees coming to rest upon the top of his thighs. She didn't complain and elevated the piece of fruit between them, levelling it with their mouths. Neither prepared to take the first bite.

"You've been practicing this for years, haven't you?"

"What?" Bonnie asked with a confused frown.

"The marriage thing. The mashing of the cake."

"No," she denied immediately. He chuckled. "Just take the bite."

"On the count of three…"

Kai nodded and locked eyes with her as he started to count backwards. It was stupid and childish and yet the entire exchange felt intimate and enlightening, like they were discovering something together. They leaned forward, the few inches needed and bite into it together. Neither bothered to be timid about it.

"Ugh!" Bonnie groaned, drawing back to wipe her chin with the back of her hand. "That's disgusting!"

"Like chewing into cardboard," he agreed, looking no less disgusted by the deceptive piece of fruit.

Still there was a sensation that sliced through the both of them to make up for the lack of nutrition, one that soothed even the slightest of niggle. Bonnie spat out of the watermelon, dropping it to the floor and wiped her hand on her pants.

"I need a shower," she complained, dabbing at her jaw once more, remembering that she also had zombie goo in her hair, on her face and other areas. She must have looked like a gremlin and smelt like one, too. Kai helped her off his lap and stood, unmindful of her space as he wiped his hands on her pants.

"Do you mind?" she asked without hostility. "You have your own clothes!"

"But mine look better."

Bonnie eyed him up and down , she'd been looking past his armor all night… or day. She was beyond knowing what the time was anymore. His top was a deep blood red and consisted of many straps that criss-crossed his chest and waist. He also had what appeared to be a rattle or enormous wand attached to his right hip, one far fancier than her nothing. Bonnie still hadn't figured out what her weapon was—and if she even had one—although she'd been encumbered by them. They'd been hidden in the deep recesses of her bag and found only as she spoke to the merchant. Kai advised her to sell anything that appeared red, which as it turned out, was everything. She could pick them up, hold them, but as soon as she tried to take a swing or stab at the air with it, it was as if her arm turned to stone. She could only release it with the inclination to do so, like somehow—the game or world—they were stuck in was able to read her intentions and thwarted them.

"You're right," she said after a beat, opting to take the highroad on this one. There was no point debating their fashion choices. "Which brings us right back to our headache. How do we get back?"

Kai appeared to think it over for a moment and then shrugged. "We wait."

"I'm not—"

"You don't have a choice, Bonnie."

"We haven't looked—"

"And where do you expect we'll find the answer?"

"There's magic… there has to be some kind of—"

Kai waited for her to find the right word to articulate herself in a way that didn't make her seem naïve.

"What if we tried a teleportation spell?" she suggested

"It wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

"Because we're integrated into the data."

"How can you be sure?"

"I'm not."

"Then why won't you even attempt it?"

"It's too risky and you're already struggling with your magic."

"It's not mine—"

"Then how—"

"I don't know," she replied, freeing up her space and walking away from the carriage to head up the small hill. He caught up and trailed beside her, if not faster.

"The good news is," he said once they'd reached the top of the hill and she appeared to run out of a steam, "that spells like this usually run out of oomph and will pop us back into the real world."

"You can't be sure of that."

"No, I can't," he said honestly. "But I can hope. It's better than the alternative."

"And in the mean time?" Bonnie asked.

"We settle. Do a few quests, find you a shower and… make a little money."

Bonnie took a minute to think it over. He extended a hand, waiting for her to take it. When she did she allowed him to walk her up the gravel pathway for the intimidating gate in the distance that looked as if it led into a castle.

"I don't even know how to play, I don't even know what I'm doing half the time and I'm not sure I want to walk back out there," she said, shuddering as she withdrew her hand, too afraid of what was on the other side of that door.

"Just follow my lead."

Bonnie looked skeptical and watched as he went to stand at the door and against it. "I'm not looking to add another death to my achievement record."

He smirked. "I'm not that bad."

"I didn't say you were."

"Yes you did."

"Fine. I did," Bonnie admitted and heaved a small sigh. "But I saw the way you were running around out there. You had no sense of direction."

"I was caught off-guard."

"Oh please—"

"Stop stalling," he said, knowingly reading her intention, extending his hand once more to coax her. "I can't travel without you. And it's not because I don't want to."

Bonnie buttoned down her fear, hating that he could tell what she was doing or thinking at times.

"But that's the way this gate works." He touched his free palm to the wooden surface of the heavy gate.

She counted back from ten and took a tentative step forward, then another, and before she knew what was happening, a golden circle of light fell around them. Kai looked ready while Bonnie all but leapt to take a hold of his hand, to anchor herself to him.

"See you on the other side—" he uttered just as the two were launched into another bout of nauseating blackness.


	5. Chapter 5

Bonnie's world spun, sending her to her knees and her stomach contents spilling from her mouth the instant her boots touched down on solid ground.

"Bring back, bring back, Oh bring back my Bonnie to me, to me," Kai sang in mock triumph while watching her double over and retch alongside the reinforced entryway. He stopped singing as he stood and walked over to her. Bonnie had been stuck in teleportation mode for over five minutes, providing him with time to check his mail and to dispose of random items before her arrival. Other players came and went, walking past her, through her and around her as if they were ghosts, as if she hadn't vomited a lung and left it on the ground for all to see. Bonnie barely noticed them. When she calmed she crawled away from the gateway—afraid she'd get pulled back into it—and hoisted herself up with the help of an adjacent marker. She took a seat on the flat top of the post, her elbows rested upon her parted thighs, her eyes closed as she waited for her overwhelming disorientation to pass.

"Want to try another piece of watermelon?" Kai asked upon his approach, crouching beside her, examining her for any exterior damage.

"No," she said and swallowed, fighting back the bile threatening to rise into her throat a second time.

"It has healing properties," he mused with unpretentious consideration.

Bonnie wearily thought it over, wrestling with the idea of the foul taste and then extended a hand. He went quiet, his hand upturned, his eyes fixed upon his palm. A fresh piece of watermelon appeared.

"Maybe it'll taste better if you pretend that it does," he said, unsuccessfully trying to break it in half. He placed the whole thing in her hand. Bonnie raised her head and opened her eyes. For an instant, she turned green, her nostrils flaring, clammy sweat breaking out across her forehead.

"Perhaps the potion would be better," he said, concentrating on conjuring one of the healing remedies. By the time he made to give the stowed bottle to her, Bonnie was already munching on the watermelon. He watched her devour the fruit like an animal starved. When Bonnie finished, she stared right at him, her eyes zeroing in on his face as if she were trying to get herself to focus. She looked better, heathier even.

"I'm never fucking doing that again," she stated.

Kai screwed off the top of the potion he was holding, extending it toward her to drink.

"Never say never."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that if you want to do quests and earn experience, then you'll have to—"

"No," Bonnie said cutting him off before he could finish his sentence. She didn't want to hear it.

"It's the only—"

"I'm not doing it," she snapped a second time, pushing off the hard edge of the wooden post.

"I didn't make the game."

"Maybe not, but you're the one that drew us here."

Kai refused to take the bait and blame, replacing the cork on the bottle, slipping it back into his inventory with a look of practiced dismissal. He straightened up and moved to stand behind her while she studied the empty stalls lining the main road, along with a handful of embellished homes he knew they wouldn't be able to enter and aimlessly placed crates stacked upon one another. Boxes that were literally there for show – gap fillers.

"Where are we?" she asked and looked back over her shoulder, ignoring the people crowded around the mailbox situated under a tree and dead center in front of the gate.

"Protectors Enclave."

That piece of information meant nothing to Bonnie and her lack of response said as much.

"Let's go find Knox," Kai suggested before she could ask him another question, gesturing she follow as he led her toward the houses and for the lengthy staircase that ran down the middle of them.

"Who?"

"Our commander."

"Our what—who now?"

"The guy that spits out the first quest. He has a few odds and sods for you—"

"Hell no," Bonnie said, drawing to a stop in the middle of the stairs she was climbing.

"What?"

"I'm not doing it."

"I thought we'd already established we'd kill time—"

"And did you miss the part where that black hole nearly killed me?"

"You're new here, the first time you teleport into a new location it always takes a little while."

Bonnie stared at him as if he'd grown a second head, her arms folding across her chest to represent her defiance before she whirled around and sat down. Kai read her aim immediately and sighed, sitting down behind her, his eyes fixing themselves on the back of her head. She looked tense.

"Maybe it's like Jumanji," Kai said after a few minutes silence. Bonnie looked back, her eyes gleaming considerately before becoming burdened with a hint of tacit fear. "And we have to play our way out."

"Is this your way of trying to make me feel better about our situation?"

"Is it working?" he asked, arching a brow for emphasis. Bonnie faced forward again, regarding the surface she was sitting on, her hand brushing it to check for dirt. The place looked real enough, did that mean the danger was too? That if for some reason they were killed in battle they'd die? They had survived zombies in that graveyard but who else knew what she was expected to fight from here?

"Okay, I admit it, my comforting skills could use some work."

"A lot of work," Bonnie mumbled as a means of correcting him, wiping her dirtied hands on her pants. He chuckled and slid down a step, reaching out to take a hold of her shoulders, sitting directly behind her. Bonnie stiffened in response, his dexterous fingers steadily working the tension from her achy muscles.

"Better?" he asked once she'd given into his careful influence and began to lean back into him, relaxing into the space he'd provided between his legs.

"It's a start," she responded, offering him a small smile of unstated appreciation. She wasn't big on fueling his ego but when she did, it was earnest, meaningful and indiscreet.

They stayed that way for a while.

"Okay," he drawled once his hands started cramping, confident she'd had enough time to digest their dispute. "We should get moving."

"But—"

"You want to sit here all day?"

Bonnie peered up at him from beneath long lashes, looking deceptively innocent and far too attractive.

"Because I don't mind, but then I'd rather we do something equally satisfying for the both of us." He thrust against her back lightly, giving her a not-so-delicate hint.

"Can you think of nothing else?!" Bonnie protested as she jumped to her feet, sidestepping a disaster as she turned to face him, saving herself from falling down the stairs headfirst.

"I'm a stuck in a virtual la la land with a beautiful woman and no obvious way out. Can you think of a better distraction to pass the time?" Kai answered.

Bonnie restrained a groan as she turned to face him, overlooking the slight tinge of color that warmed her cheeks and dove lower to take hold of more intimate areas.

"I can actually—" she said, imagining the two of them upon the stairs, their bodies writhing together, a fantasy that came to an abrupt halt when she remembered he'd been with someone else less than an hour ago. Or was it two? "—Me, my bed… away from you."

Kai looked interested, as if he didn't believe that for a second and saw her inner turmoil. "Are you aware that you have a tendency of lashing out when you're frightened?"

"What?" Bonnie asked in a confused murmur. "I—I'm not scared of you."

"Its natural instinct when animals or humans alike feel cornered—"

"I don't need to the chemistry lesson. I know enough about—"

"But do you know that you only do it with me. That you used to do it with Damon."

"What are you talking—"

"I'm referring to your avoidance tactics, Bennett."

"I'm not—"

Kai's lips twitched, curving into a wide smile as if to say 'you're only proving my point'.

"You're afraid to admit that you want me, that there is something between us and that you're ready to fu—"

"Can we not talk about this?" Bonnie interjected cuttingly. "Or Damon and your wild fantasies?" Bonnie stomped past him, making her way up the stairs and into the alley, taking it slow. She had no idea where to go.

"I wasn't talking about Damon," Kai said once he caught up, remaining a relaxed step behind her. "I was talking about us, about you avoiding the topic of sex in relation to the two of us—"

Bonnie whirled around, staring at him, her eyes blazing. "There is no relationship or sex to speak of."

"Nor do we appear to know how to have a decent conversation. Doesn't stop us from trying, does it?"

Bonnie turned away from him for the umpteenth time, putting an end to their conversation while she acquainted herself with the quaint side street. He took her hand before she could walk past the two lengthy staircases they needed to climb and kept a hold on her. When they reached the top of the stairs, he let go of her, speeding past non-playable characters and actual clusters of online consumers gathered around an altar, heading toward a small quantity of stalls on the far right of the castle. When she caught up to him, Kai was already immersed in a discussion with their burly commander, a character that reminded her of Samuel L. Jackson's version of Captain Fury – eyepatch included. He drew her in like a moth to flame, looking far more advanced than the figure she'd come across in that swamp place. A thick mist befell her eyes the closer she got, words hazily appearing before her. She couldn't make them out.

"Can I help you, Lady Bennett?" For an instant she was shocked at being addressed by her surname, heaved from her foggy trance as she abruptly took a step back.

"You can talk," she alleged with some reverence, receiving no response from older man, her eyes once more locking on his fashioned features. He looked pleasant enough, welcome even. She took a step forward again and reached out to touch him, the fog washing in on her, drawing her in, permitting sentences to appear in front of her in magical speech bubbles.

"Can I help you, Lady Bennett?" he repeated in a heartfelt baritone. She wasn't fooled any longer, her attention focused on the words and their monotonous stories. She checked and accepted each message as they came up, springing from their mechanical conversation five minutes later.

"What took you so long?" Kai asked as she took a step back from the man, trying to figure out where to go.

"I—I had to listen, read—"

"Don't bother next time," Kai advised. "I know my way around, if we take the same quests… it'll be easy-"

"I like to know what I'm getting myself into," Bonnie said, referencing both their relationship and current predicament. Kai knew that, could sense it in her stinging tone and smiled.

"It'll be easier and far faster if you just trust me. Live a little."

"Trust is earned."

Kai couldn't argue that and wouldn't, he knew they were beyond that. He rose a hand, gesturing for her to lead the way. Bonnie fell silent, reaching into her bag for the map, unaware of how to conjure things from the air like he'd been doing time and time again. She strolled forward, walking through stalls, down stairs and toward the market place on the opposite side of the map, making sure they opened up everything. He followed her without a word, refusing to cave, waiting for her to come to him. That was the only way this was going to work. When they circled into a dead end for the third time she seemed frustrated.

"Ready to trust me yet?" Kai asked once she staggered down the stairs tiredly, turned around three times and stared at the drains bars. Bonnie threatened to rip her map in two, her eyes darting toward him defiantly.

"No."

"We've been down here already. Twice."

"I know that."

"Then what are we doing here?"

"I like the view," she snapped, focusing on her map again, appearing in deep concentration mode.

"Sure you do," he muttered, reaching into his bag to pull out a beer and to munch on another piece of watermelon. They'd been walking for quite some time, running at others and he'd worked up a sweat.

"Fine," Bonnie said after a minute of silence. "I give."

Kai said nothing for the first few seconds, watching the empty bottle disappear into thin air, busying himself with sliding his bag back into place on his back. He turned around, walking away from her without a word, knowing she'd follow. He didn't walk far either, stopping short of an alley that looked like the exact replica of the one she'd just been in.

"What is this?" she asked as he came to stop in front of a similar looking drain, a 'your party members are waiting for you' message flashing up overhead annoyingly.

"Where we need to be."

"You knew this was here?" Bonnie asked.

"Of course I did—"

"Then why didn't you tell me."

"Because you didn't want my help—"

"I—"

"Can we go?" Kai said, cutting short whatever explanation or blame she wanted to cook up. Bonnie started toward him, gasping as the messaging disappeared and was replaced by the sheen of light. She backed away, seeing the message appear overhead again. "We have to travel."

"What if I—what if…"

"There is nothing we can do about this, not in the beginning. It'll get better the more places you visit, for now, just know I'll be on the other side to catch you."

Bonnie stared at him long and hard. She might give him grief, might allow her jealous to flare beyond unspeakable measures, but she never—not even for a second—doubted that he'd be there for her. He had been, even when she'd been doing her best to push him away in the past.

"Come on," he said, his lips twitching into a provocative smirk. "I know we could both use some action."

Bonnie stepped forward, refraining from taking his hand as she did before but stood close, closing her eyes as the ring fell back into place and the short count down began.

By the time she appeared on the other side and inside the sewer, he'd already slain of the creatures, collected some eggs and was busy tending to a wound. Bonnie wrenched, digging around in her bag for some watermelon, stuffing her face as she had done before and waited. It didn't take long for the nausea to subside.

"What happened?" she asked, straining to see him in the poor light.

"I got overzealous with the slashing and stepped into a spikey booby-trap. It happens. I'll heal." Or at least he hoped so. He couldn't be sure.

"Let me take a look—"

"No," Kai said, drawing back from her, flashing her a smile to cushion the blow. "Let's just get this over and done with so we can move onto the next task. I'm bored."

"Are you kidding me?" Bonnie asked, watching as he pulled out a sizeable weapon and started deeper into the dingy corridor.

They fought side by side, falling into an easy cadence of destroying their foes, at least once Bonnie had gotten over the horror of killing a barrage of walking-talking rats. She struggled a bit with the boss, a louse that was three times their size and had taken a large chuck out of the both of them. The boss hadn't been an easy kill, not with a first timer at Kai's side and without his usual modes, but it had been fun. Bonnie stood close by as Kai rifled through the treasure chest, awaiting her turn and looking dumbstruck.

"That was amazing," she said at least, excitement written all over her face. "Did you see what I was able to do, the power—I… I didn't even get a nosebleed." There was something unexplainably liberating about that. Kai smiled again, pulling free his treasures, making space for her to take his place. She did, falling into step, looting within seconds.

"Oh! Something new—" She proclaimed happily, rifling through her bag, pulling free the new armor she'd collected. She stripped without a care, replacing both her pants and top, exchanging her ruddy weapons for better and iron with a bit more damage. "Now what?"

He stepped up to the exit, the party message appearing onscreen, making her stomach drop. "It'll be easier this time."

She raised her bag off the floor, popping a piece of watermelon into her mouth in preparation of getting stuck and joined him at the door. The two disappearing into blackness seconds later.


	6. Chapter 6

Time became a non-issue while the two fulfilled quests, repeated dailies and killed all sorts of unmentionable foe. They'd even set up a camp where they could rest for a few hours in Winterfell—a zone specially crafted for an once-a-month event—finding that in spite of their desire to continue exploring they needed to recharge their batteries.

"Wakie wakie, sleeping beauty."

Bonnie blinked, doing her best to clear her blurred vision, wearily staring up at the figure hovering over her. Kai looked chipper—bearing none of the dark circles she knew shaded her eyes—and like they'd been sleeping in a five star hotel.

She loathed him for it. At least in theory…

"I brought you breakfast."

In spite of the spells tendencies there were still some things that hadn't changed. They were still hungry, needed to use the rest room and take a shower. The latter being the hard part.

"Not more watermelon," Bonnie grumbled.

As tasteless as the food was she grew tired of its puerile coloring and texture. She reached up to pull the fur over her eyes with one hand, using the other to push him away.

Of the two Bonnie seemed to be the one struggling to adapt to Neverwinter while Kai made it appear easy and took to everything as though born to it. She'd never admit it but she was jealous of his tenacity. Most her magic career had been that way too. While others flourished and crushed them like bug – she always struggled, always stayed one step behind and rarely did anything without consequence.

Perhaps it was a skill he acquired from his stay in the prison world? She never asked him about the extent of what he did there. But she wondered. Why Mystic Falls and where did he set up permanent residence? Did he linger in and around Portland? She couldn't imagine it, not with the blood red stains that crusted the inside of the walls like newly splattered paint or the untouched food that stocked their fridges.

"You didn't sleep well?"

"No. This mattress kills me and something hard dug in my back all night," Bonnie snapped.

"Sorry," Kai replied with a hint of playful sheepishness, smirking as he removed the fur from her eyes. She looked undaunted. "I can't control what my body does when your ass is virtually hugging my crotch."

"You're an ass."

He set the plate he was holding down to break the piece of bread in half and offered it to her.

"It was your idea to snuggle up to amass warmth."

One of her superior ideas.

"It worked, didn't it?"

Considering the fact that this place was a frost cap and that they could feel the blistering cold – yes. But that wasn't the only positive.

She sat up as she took his gift, rolling her head to work the kinks from her shoulders.

He popped a piece of bread in his mouth, dropping the rest onto their plate and moved to sit down next to her, working the tension from her muscles.

Bonnie didn't even flinch at his touch, soft moans of gratitude slipping from her lips as she twisted and leaned back into him. Variation he'd noticed after the first three days of being cooped up together, a revelation he negated to comment on—as he typically would—as he didn't want to draw her attention to her movements. Bonnie was stubborn and any kind of exposure would end in denial. He loved this part of her, liked when she stopped thinking and gave into her natural desire. It didn't happen often—she was continually protecting herself—but when it did he knew not to take it for granted.

He released her shoulders after a thorough but fleeting massage and stood again.

"I am going to go do a run, toe the line and make something bleed. When you're ready, meet me outside."

 

**TWENTY MINUTES LATER…**

Bonnie emerged from the inn located near the town pub adorned in fur boots that tied around her legs with leather straps, fur pants and a top. Clothes she'd managed to buy from the auctioneer. Kai wore the same.

"What's this?" she asked as she approached him.

"A horse," he added.

"I'm not blind. I can see that."

They'd been running around the last few days on a rental, one that would soon be expired and make their lives even harder than it was since neither of them could afford a decent ride yet.

"It's purple."

"And that's not all."

Kai eased the horse into a trot, riding around her, a twinkling rainbow extending from the horse's fluffy looking tail as if he were part of the MY LITTLE PONY television show she used to love as a kid.

Where and what had he done to get that?

"How do I get one?"

"You can't."

Silence ensued for a good minute before Bonnie spoke up again, clearly agitated.

"What do you mean I can't?"

"I bought it last year from the Zen market after a fifty percent off special. It's a once-off."

"And you got it now?"

"I forgot to reclaim it before. You buy something big and it's there for every account. Minus the attire."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Sure it does."

Bonnie signed softly.

"Fine."

Once he stopped jumping around Bonnie determinedly walked toward him, brushing a hand over the horse's glittery coat, her hand findings its way onto his thigh before gripping at the fabric. He grimaced.

"Now, now, claws sheathed, Bon-bon."

Bonnie overlooked his complaint, trying to pull herself up, trying to join him on the majestic creature. It didn't work. She huffed and kicked at the ground as she pushed herself away, loathing how selective the game could be about what worked and what didn't. She couldn't attack him, couldn't ride with him, but apparently—and if she wanted too—she could kiss him, could take full advantage of his body and have the elicit time of her life. How the hell did that work? Far as she could tell this game was PG-13.

"Sorry, Bonster. Seems it's a one man show. And probably for the best."

Bonnie stared at him from between narrowed eyes, irritated he'd managed to read her resolve.

"Can you imagine the strain you'd take with your legs wrapped around me all day?"

Bonnie snorted. Kai laughed and continued to trot around her, grinning as she conjured her own horse. It appeared beneath her from out of nowhere, rocketing her from the ground in a way that used to make her stomach turn and her hands go clammy. She'd never ridden a horse.

Not until she'd been forced to.

"Let's go," she said, tapping her heels against her horse's flanks, sending him into a gradual gallop.

Kai gave her a superficial second's head start and then obeyed her request, sailing toward the gate at a rate that added to her infuriation and had her arrive after him.

She refused to talk to him.

At least for a minute.

 

**MANY HOURS LATER…**

"Admit it. You're loving it."

"What?" Bonnie said puzzled, the air of humor momentarily slipping from her face. Kai considerately walked around her, picking up the sparkling loot that had been dropped.

"The adventure, the mayhem."

Kai gestured around them, displaying the demons lying at their feet while their grotesque bodies faded away. Bonnie shrugged, having no reason to be guilty about her actions or the enjoyment thereof.

They were still looking for a way to get out but somewhere along the way the urgency to get it done was waning. What was she missing out on? Death? College? The need for a career?

"I don't dislike it."

"Even though you're stuck here day in and day out? With me?"

Bonnie stared at him as if she were thinking about how to answer, undoubtedly planning her usual denial while she distanced herself from the respawn point. "It's bearable."

"Wow," Kai echoed in ersatz awe, rushing up behind her once he caught up, wrapping his arms around her waist to draw her close. She chuckled. "A compliment. However shall I thank you?"

Bonnie dashed forward and cut short his tease, attacking the nearby enemy before it could agro her. The two lashing at the creatures in earnest harmony. Who knew a stupid game could be so damned liberating?

"By keeping me alive and being your overpowered self," she answered once the smoke had settled.

"I'm not overpowered. I still have a lot I need."

"You're overpowered."

"I still don't have—"

Bonnie rolled her eyes and wiped the sweat from her brow. She craved a shower and to put her feet up.

"These things two hit me and floor me while you all but sneeze them to death."

"You're over exaggerating."

"You're under exaggerating," Bonnie stated and turned her back on him, scanning the hellish dimension for more to slay. She still had a few more requirements to meet and none of them were quick.

Of all the zones – this was the one she disliked most. So far.

She hadn't gotten very far when a vicious rumble echoed throughout the hilly ridges they were weaving in and out of tediously, her heart picking up speed in alarm, afraid of stumbling upon the beast that lurked close by. Executioner that left her zero room to manoeuvre.

"We need to get out of here," she hissed, already running—trying to find her way out—disorientated by the replicated hills and unsure of how close she was to his feeding zone. Familiarity of the doorbell like response that echoed in her wake made her draw to a stop. She whirled around, astonished to see the oversized scorpion already upon them and Kai dead at its feet, swathed in a bright green light.

"Oh, shit!" Bonnie cursed as she charged toward it, unintentionally aggroing immediate NPC's she hadn't seen, dodging the oversized scorpion's first attack with a cry akin to that of a controlled scream. Leaping from the blood red light that sprinkled the ground, point after point that made it impossible to get a good handle on Kai. How she managed it, she didn't know but before long he was joining her – and running.

There was no way to escape the hordes, seemingly luring more and more of the budding enemies at every turn and making it impossible to move.

"We can totally do this!" Bonnie encouraged, dodging both the beast and its helpers, a few dying around them in accordance. No sooner the words were out of her mouth did she meet Kai's former fate.

"Help me! Quick!" she commanded, watching the timer fade in and give its illustrious count down. If it ran out, she'd be dead for good and thrown off somewhere else across the map. All would be lost. He hurried over to her fallen position, speedily helping her from the ground, leaving her to try and heal while they fell into easy synchronization.

"Fuck this," Kai spat suddenly, taking off in the other direction, leaving her exposed.

"We can take them!" Bonnie insisted still fuelled by her adrenaline, chasing after him nonetheless, a soft laugh escaping her lips as she suddenly collapsed. She waited. He helped.

"Why do you always have to do this to me?" Kai yelled, swinging his weapon around excitedly, trying to rid himself of the scorpions on his heels. He wasn't happy. He wasn't big on confrontations like this. Which was hilarious considering he'd butchered his family.

"Me? I didn't start this," Bonnie yelled back, doing her best—and failing—to disperse of her own cluster of enemies. Why did she have to do such little damage? And why was he always blaming her for the shit?

"Had you just listened to me and done this when I needed it—UGH!"

He dropped dead – once again embalmed in light. Bonnie charged toward him, repeating what she'd done for him earlier. And he'd done for her twice already. Course they'd taken five more times. Tremulous minutes spent in a crazed flurry of screaming, cursing, dodging, healing and throwing. Repetition that became central to her being until she was sure that's all she'd know for the rest of her life.

Before they made it back to their sanctuary on the other side of the map five more creatures attacked, along with an unforeseen horde of twenty that floored her four more times and had the both of them sitting in the remedial flame in town to remove their lingering death afterwards.

"I died three times," he mused after a lengthy silence, staring in the fire for a bit, then turned to her with a snarky little smile. "You know what was funny, though? You said, We can take them!"

Bonnie peered at him across the flame, a tickling smile forming over her mouth. She couldn't help it. She had an urge to laugh at the ridiculousness of that statement he quoted, and yet she'd enjoyed every bit of the inconceivable chaos that took flight.

The bigger the challenge – the better.

"But the even more hilarious part is: for a moment there, I believed you. I'll hate you forever for this."

She couldn't help it and giggled softly.

"How powerful and daring are you feeling now, Witchling?"

She waved him off and stared at her hands, uncomplainingly waiting for the hovering face of death to depart, reminding her in short of the time she'd spent on the other side. Only this time she wasn't standing on the sidelines watching some narcissistic prick murder her father without being able to do anything about it or being abandoned in some isolated hellhole.

"You okay?" Kai asked once he appeared at her side again. He was always moving, sweeping from the seller, to a nearby mailbox and back again. He'd worked something out that she'd yet to even grasp.

She didn't care enough to figure out what it was.

"I miss—" she began, convinced as she met his eyes that she saw a medium of world-weariness reflect in them and his lips turn down a notch. "—a shower, a decent hairbrush and pizza."

He laughed softly, a sound that made her belly roll and dive, sending an ostentatious buzz through her system. When had that started? Days? Months? A year ago?

"I can help with that," he said as if reading her thoughts, pushing up off the ground, extending a hand to help her up.

She took it, unperturbed as his released her and slid his palm up her arm, unnecessarily guiding her away from the fire for the gate.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he summoned his horse, smiling down at her dazzlingly, waiting for her to do the same.

"To get you cleaned up."

Bonnie closed her eyes, summoned her own mount and caught up to him, complying with the unexplored destination he spat before he disappeared through the portal.


	7. Chapter 7

"Do you think anyone's noticed that we're gone yet?"

Kai squinted down at Bonnie resting upon the furs between his legs, her head on his left thigh, body angled slightly to savor the heat fashioned by the fireplace. They'd taken a break from their vicious grind and spent some hours indulging in each other's bodies.

_Action that was becoming as frequent and familiar as their daily quests._

"Or do you think time travels differently here?"

"I haven't given it much thought," he responded, combing his fingers through her hair, smiling as her eyes fluttered shut in implicit gratitude. "Why?"

"We can't stay here forever, Kai," she added, her heart and its skipping thump contradicting that thought.

Kai's hand allayed mid-stroke, motivating Bonnie's slender fingers to automatically snag them, eyes open once more to fix themselves upon his tense features.

"We can't keep avoiding it either. I know we've grown comfortable." Happy even, if she analyzed the entire spectrum of their newfound imprisonment. "But we need to get back to the real world."

Kai withdrew his hand and shifted from beneath her, forcing Bonnie to sit up and watch with a hint of onus as he retrieved his discarded clothes and stepped into his pants.

"I know you don't want to talk about it."

"What gave you that impression?" Kai snapped, all hints of afterglow and warmth devoid.

"Maybe because I've been trying to have this talk with you for days?"

One of the numerous habits he'd picked up from her and she now detested. Bonnie eased onto her knees, swiftly closing the distance between them, heedless of her nakedness or how vulnerable she might have felt in the past. Those days were gone and they were far closer than she'd ever imagined possible.

"What's to discuss?"

Bonnie's lips twitched sadly. "Kai—"

"Bonnie," he mimicked, tone acerbic at best. "My hands are tied. I told you what we need to do."

"And we've done it," Bonnie maintained. "We've been level seventy for days now and nothing has changed."

Kai's eyes flittered to her face, fixing on her emerald gaze before drifting lower.

"That's _not_ what I'm talking about and you know it."

As if to stress that point and make sure they focused, she went in search of something to wear. He did the same, plucking his shirt off the floor, dusting it idly before pulling it on. She didn't know—given all he'd endured in his last prison world—how he wasn't working harder at this than she was. That he was content enough to sit in their fantasy land and pretend the outside world didn't exist.

"Don't you miss it?" Bonnie asked.

Kai made no attempt to respond, rigidly yanking at his armor, looking at everything but her while she awaited his answer or at least some kind of explanation.

"Kai, please," she implored as she walked up behind him, sliding her arms around his waist to keep him from dressing, affectionately pressing her cheek to his back. He didn't resist, calming for an instant.

"What's to go back to?" he said after silent contemplation. She slackened her hold as he turned to face her, making no move to fight him as he removed her arms from around his waist. "Detachment? Contempt? Regret?"

Bonnie hadn't realized he still felt that way. Not when he'd put up such a good front. "I—"

"Josette hates me."

It was on her tongue to deny it, to defend the woman's standoffishness and their unrelenting hostility, but given their history—the unchanging ugliness—she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"My coven detests me and is probably seeking an alternative in the twin-loophole gene as we speak."

He said nothing of regret. Nothing of what she knew—and believed—he wished he could take back. He wouldn't, fragmented by the idea of voicing it and giving it anymore life than it already had.

"And then there's you."

Bonnie waited, seeing there was more to say in his eyes and dreading what was to come.

"Do you think you would have opened up to me as much as you have, if this had never happened?"

They both knew the answer to that question. No amount of making out, clandestine envy and other intricacies would have changed a damned thing. Neither knew how to communicate. Not as they did now.

"I live with you."

"Do you think you would have ever opened up to me?"

"I—I trust you."

Kai strolled toward her, determined now, eyes locked on her shifty features.

"Do you think you would have opened up to me if we hadn't ended up in this game?" he seemed to grow desperate for an answer, making Bonnie fear that their relationship—what it was now—depended on it.

She trembled, arms folding across her bosom, unable to form the words needed to appease him and at the verge of tears. When had she become such a crier? When had the idea of being left behind by Kai become so terrifying to her? When had she realized that she couldn't live without him?

"Would. You. Have—"

"No," she interjected, the word slipping from her mouth in a near inaudible puff. The truth tasted bitter. Kai stopped, lips drawn into a thin line of what she acknowledged as hurt.

Before she could clarify and make him understand her apprehension, something polished appeared in the flat of his palm, along with a small box. A lockbox.

"It's irrelevant. It's the past," Bonnie stated, trying to make him see past his tainted pride and what he deemed was some miracle cure to everything they'd dealt with in nineteen-o-four.

"We were brought here for whatever reason," Bonnie sustained, stiffening as he pulled her in close, securing one of her arms against his body, slipping the key into the lock despite her tangible opposition. "It's different now. I lo—"

There was no hesitation as he turned the key, his eyes uncharacteristically glossy as he pitched their world into unexpected blackness.

* * *

**AN UNKNOWN TIME LATER…**

"Bonnie? Bonnie? Can you hear me?"

Bonnie groaned in reply, sweeping a hand to the side of her splitting head, incapable of concentrating on the voice. Nerves that shot up her throat and had her immediately rolling over onto her side and onto her stomach to vomit. Unaware, as her eyes watered, that there was a hand comfortingly rubbing her back, keeping her hair away from the fluid slopping into the convenient bucket positioned on the floor.

"I guess I owe him a fiver," the nurse said, opinion she acknowledged as Caroline's.

"Who?" Bonnie croaked once she was able to speak.

"Kai."

"What?" she asked, using the back of her hand to wipe at her mouth as her friend attempted to messily tie her hair away from her face, accepting the glass of orange juice the blonde shoved under her nose.

"Drink," Caroline demanded gently.

Bonnie indulged her with a small tentative sip. Head spinning.

"He said you drank a little too much beer," she persisted, finally answering Bonnie's question.

"Beer?"

"Yes. Beer," Caroline echoed, smiling with meaningful delight. "I told him that was impossible, of course. That after your hangover at Tyler's New Year's Eve party you were swore off the stuff."

Bonnie groaned at the thought, fighting the urge to be sick again, taking a large gulp of orange juice, heavily setting aside the glass on the bedside table. Caroline helped.

"But here you are."

Caroline fell silent, anxious by seeing her friend sick, her mother's death and best friends untimely return still fresh on her mind despite the year and a half of healing they'd had.

"Are you okay?"

Bonnie's eyes opened to regard her best friend.

"I'll survive."

Caroline's smile widened, her head coming to rest on her friends shoulder, giving her a little time recoup.

* * *

**TWO HOURS AND A LOT OF SHOCK LATER….**

"So… you're telling me you were trapped in a game? Alone? Just the two of you?"

"Try not to sound so amazed. It's happened before. We live together, Caroline."

"I know, I just… I mean, you guys aren't exactly bosom buddies-"

Bonnie's cheeks colored slightly, lips suddenly dry. Caroline didn't know the half of it.

"I just… I thought you moved in here to police him, to make sure things didn't get out of hand and he didn't go on some spur-of-the-moment killing spree."

Well, maybe, at the time that had been part of it. But as a whole – there was more to it.

"He isn't like that," Bonnie defended, scowling as she attempted to brush the knots out of her newly washed and dried hair. "He isn't a senseless serial killer."

"Isn't he? He did slaughter some of his family."

Bonnie lowered the hairbrush onto the dresser, using some spray on her hair to try and fix its volume in place, doing her best to style it despite her want to admit surrender or scream. "He's different now. He's trying to be better."

Argument Elena might have used for Damon one too many times. Only in Kai's case it seemed to be true.

"I know. I mean... I've noticed. After the merge, after the whole prison world aftermath and unexpected bonding thing," Caroline agreed after a brief silence, smiling softly as she stared at the back of her friends head. Bonnie stopped fussing, throwing a look over her shoulder to study her friend in tacit silence. "I just wanted to hear you say it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We've all made some unfathomable choices over the last few years and—" Remorse Bonnie could see shone in her best friend's once sunny stare. Body count she'd accumulated after her mother's death and during her twist-a-ripper segment. Truths Caroline was still coming to terms with."—I—I've been on the receiving end of your searing objectivity. Place I never want to be again."

Confession that came from and referred to Caroline's turning. Dying had been terrifying, being alienated from her mother and her assumed sister within the same breath – that had been heartbreaking.

"Place I don't believe _he_ wants to stay either."

Bonnie inhaled, feeling tears blur her vision, abhorring how much she appeared to have hurt her best friend, how complicated things could be with Kai and how easy it was to mess up.

"Then why won't he talk to me and why is he—" Bonnie didn't even want to think of it, the look of detachment in his eyes –once she'd managed to hunt him down—and the casual mention of his former fuck buddy like a stake to the heart. Had their time together really meant that little?

Silence stretched between the two. Tears blurring Bonnie's eyes.

"Here," Caroline interjected in that all too forgiving tone of hers, snapping Bonnie out of her melancholy, reaching for the eyeshadow and eyeliner in her make-up bag on the dresser. "If we want to get you to that party on time. You better let me take it from here. I am a professional."

And she was. Bonnie had always appreciated her flare for fashion.

"I don't believe being crowned Miss Mystic Falls gives you a beauty degree," Bonnie teased.

"The sash says otherwise," Caroline shot back with exaggerated indignation, using her index to tip her Bonnie's chin heavenward, giving her more light to work with. "Now don't wiggle too much or I'll end making you look like a raccoon and that's a stain my reputation can't afford."

Bonnie laughed softly, making a show of settling her hands in her lap and giving into her order.

Game they upheld for a full five minutes before falling into thought again.

* * *

**GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS AND BOYS MAKE GOOD CONVERSATION MATERIAL….**

"Are you sure this isn't some dream you cooked up in your head because of the beer?"

Bonnie's eyes snapped open, latching on her friend solemnly.

"Okay, okay. I guess stranger things have happened, than being shuffled into Mortal Kombat."

"Neverwinter," Bonnie corrected. Caroline looked unphased by her mistake. "I've died," the witch added, driving the point home. "And come back. Twice. Three times if you take into account the sixties dance."

Caroline grimaced at the reminder, action she hadn't even been a part of, news that had stricken her at the time, voted from the know-how because of Katherine's bullying participation. Klaus couldn't know.

"I'm fine, Caroline. There is no lasting effect. I just wish I knew how he did it or why he'd trying to deny it."

Caroline lowered the make-up brush she was holding and perched herself against the dresser.

"Me too. I mean… I only left you yesterday."

How was that even possible? They'd been stuck together for weeks, and yet it was as if no time at all had passed here, as if it had been less than twelve hours since their fight.

Bonnie said nothing in reply, looking resolute in her thinking, her friend yet again tipping her chin, quickly finishing her work—not that she needed much to add to her beauty—and then left to change.

_Kai might have taken to pretending he couldn't remember anything of what had happened between the two of them or what had gone down over the last few weeks but Bonnie wouldn't let him get away with it._


	8. Chapter 8

_'_ _This one's for you'_ reverberated like a reassuring mantra as the two friends parked and made their approach of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity house. Heels clicking in unison.

After waking up a couple hours ago, after having Bonnie's pluckier memories assault her and her lover pretend that it didn't happen, hurt and resolve drove her to her current quandary. She needed a temporary distraction, something to keep her confidence from failing.

"Is Stefan meeting us here?" Caroline had been oddly mum on the topic and amidst her own dramas Bonnie hadn't had the want to ask.

"No. He's gone to North Carolina."

"For—" Bonnie started, uncertain she should say the woman's name out loud when the eldest Salvatore still didn't know of younger female Salvatore's existence and had a tendency of lurking in the shadows.

"Yeah. Her," Caroline confirmed, cutting short the need for proclivity. "Ever since that whole thing with Enzo, Liam and my forcing him to turn off his humanity, he's become a little protective."

"Only a little?"

"Obsessively so," Caroline simplified with a miserable twitch of her lips, brushing at her blonde locks from the sides of her face with an inkling of timidity Bonnie hadn't seen her retain in years. Losing her mother watered down such a lot of what she'd accomplished with in self-assurance, steadily pushing her into darker holes and to an edge of loathing Bonnie hadn't been around to help her get away from. "I think he fears putting her at any more risk."

"Because of Enzo?"

Caroline nodded. "Matt confessed to Stefan that Enzo was threatening his mother and that he'd unintentionally helped making getting to her even easier."

"What a dick," Bonnie surmised without thinking, balling her hands into fists.

"He's reformed, remember?" Caroline chimed, caustic in her valuation.

Neither spoke, deliberating over the allowances they'd made to the unworthy in their lives, wondering if they were the reason none of them seemed to be able to hold onto happiness.

The thought was far too deep for their current assignment.

"Chest up and out," Caroline ordered in a low tone, brushing aside the obscuring thoughts once they made it to the path leading to the front door. The blonde smiled, waving at someone she knew from her after hour's drama class – ever the social butterfly. Bonnie did as she instructed with immediate action, chuckling softly in response to the ridiculousness of it all. Being a sex pot was not something she practiced or found even remotely natural.

"I know it's hard to shake the world and its piling problems. If you intend to put Bonnie the seductress into effect and snatch your man back, you're going to need everything you can muster."

If only he was open to talking and hadn't run away from her a second time today.

"Right," Bonnie agreed, taking a few steps ahead of best friend, arms stiff at her sides and swinging as she simulated a fleeting soldier heading into battle march. Caroline laughed.

"I'll get us drinks," Caroline announced as they ascended the porch. Bonnie sucked in a breath and relaxed as Caroline pushed past her—giving her shoulder a brief supportive squeeze—and headed inside.

Bonnie considered the faces hanging around the doorway, bodies bundled together in two, three's and fours in sporadic locations – most on the dancefloor. Everyone seemed to know someone.

"I've never seen beauty quite like yours around here."

Bonnie drew into herself, briefly searching for the intruding voice, astonished to find someone talking to her, enthusiastic brown eyes locked upon her face.

"I'm looking for a… someone."

"Then you found him," the flirt interjected, puffing out his chest, bequeathing her his cheesiest smile.

Deja vu wasn't lost on her and replicated what had happened the first night of her nineteen-o-four return during her search for humanity free Caroline amongst a wild barrage of ravers.

Bonnie only hoped the outcome wouldn't be the same.

"Another time, maybe," Bonnie said, starting away from the stranger before he could get any friendlier and in any direction. The place wasn't that big, she'd happen upon Kai eventually – if he was even here.

A series of images popped into her head as she searched.

_'_ _I hurt you. I am sorry,'_

_'_ _It's just stuff, Bonnie.' Gone was the peppy and teasing addition of the nickname: Bonster. She hadn't even liked it at first. 'There's no need to beat yourself up about it.'_

_'_ _You know that's not what I mean.'_

_He stared at her blankly, as if he hadn't a clue as to what she was referring and needed her to explain. She didn't. Not with the lithe frame and doe eyes impatiently strapped to his bicep like a leech._

_'_ _Forget about it. I have,' he concluded._

_There had been more to that, she knew it and yet—as if reading her mind—the familiarity of his charismatic smile settled into place, an elaborate mask meant to throw her off guard. And it did._

_He left then, but not before he let her know he wouldn't be back the night – if things went according to plan._

"Ah!" Bonnie gasped softly as she unexpectedly collided with another body, hands reaching out to catch whomever and prevent anymore watery damage to her forearm. "Sorry."

"Ugh!"

It took her just a second to identify the familiar face. Marie shook the excess alcohol from her hands, scowling down at the tipped cup at their feet and the liquid soaking into her shoes.

"I—I didn't see you," Bonnie apologized, attempting to raise her voice above the speakers.

Marie looked up, frown firmly in place before presenting her with an unemotional smile. "That's okay."

"Can I get you another?"

"That's alright. It was Kai's anyway." Marie looked fantastic in the white washed denim skirt and similarly tight fitting white t-shirt she was wearing, her lips an appealing shade of pink Bonnie couldn't help but wonder was natural or kiss induced.

"Is he outside?"

"The last I saw he was moping by the pool."

Brooding? Kai? That didn't sit right with Bonnie, nor did Marie explain as she turned on her heels and headed for the bathroom upstairs, finishing off the remainder of her spilt drink on the way in one gulp.

Bonnie gave her a second and then headed outside, spotting Caroline amidst a small throng of talkative girls on the dancefloor, a group she recognized as college cheerleaders.

Just like high school, only this time Bonnie was the one with guy issues.

She found her target immediately. His back was to her, legs dangling into the water, slicing back and forth as he kicked. She was grateful for that position, dreading the idea of catching him in another bareback situation. She wasn't sure she'd be able to handle that. Not so soon. Not ever.

Bonnie took another deep breath and stepped onto the grass, wincing as her foot slipped and heel sank into the ground, giving away her position with all the finesse of a clumsy cursing giant.

Kai's threw a glance over his shoulder, eyes widening before becoming disinterested again. "Stalking me, Bennett?"

"Caroline thought I could do with a night out."

"Lying, too. Looks like you're beginning to rack up quite the rap sheet."

"Okay, so it was my idea."

Kai arched his brows, anticipating more detail. "Party Bennett. That's new."

"Not really," she refuted once she'd reached the side of the pool, dropping her heels onto the concrete, scanning the immediate area for something to sit on. The floor felt too cold beneath her bare feet. "She's just been in hiding for a really long time."

"So, where is blondie?" Kai asked, averting his gaze from the water to look around.

"Inside. Mingling. Where's um…"

_Why did she even go this route? Why did she feel compelled to lie? To test him?_

"Marie?" he finished, voice devoid of merriment. "She's inside getting us drinks."

"I thought that was usually the guy's job." He was around thirty years their senior, the dating rules were different back then and riddled with a little more chivalry, revenue that even he showcased at times – at least in-game.

"She's an independent soul."

"So, you uh… you _like_ her?"

Kai glanced at the water again, shrugging noncommittally. "She isn't the worst company. Easy on the eyes."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, overlooking the need for a cushion or towel, frightened he'd slip away while he back was turned and moved to sit next to him, sliding her feet into the water beside his. Surprisingly it was warm. With no more small talk to make, awkwardness seemed to descend upon them, as well as a silence that was comfortable only a day ago and now appeared to be smothering.

"I love you."

Kai's eyes shot to her face, searing with a fusion of incomprehension and doubt.

"I love you," she repeated, saying the words a little more slowly and softly.

She'd made this confession only one another time in her life and it wasn't half as terrifying as this moment.

"I love you," she added a third time, feeling as if his silence was a tacit need for her to do so. She didn't want to play games and wanted to leave no more room for misconceptions.

"God, the queue to the bathroom is killing!" Marie complained, cutting across the grass, making a direct beeline for them, leaving Kai with zero chance to return the favor or express his thinking.

Bonnie's eyes darted to the culprit, cheeks heating, wondering if the girl had heard anything, let alone see it or cared to notice how intimate their entire situation was.

"Apparently not," Bonnie mumbled with unusual irritation.

Kai lifted his legs out of the pool and stood, uncharacteristically lost, and glanced between the two.

"Fuck. Your drink," Marie said, sounding only slightly apologetic as she looked at Kai, temporarily seeking understanding from Bonnie and burning her at the same time. "I forgot to get another after our run in."

Kai's lips twitched, something Bonnie accepted as an insinuation of pleasure.

"Yeah," Bonnie said, feeling stupid as she started to her feet, mumbling another apology, staggered and sadly relieved as he extended a hand and helped her off the ground. She dusted her backside.

"The cheerleaders are out in full force."

Bonnie peered past Marie's shoulder to the inside, watching as her best friend took to leading the small group, that age old insecurity no longer seen in the grace of her limber movements and bright smiles.

_I don't know how she can be riddled with so much hurt and still keep going._

"Before their pep rubs off on us we'd better go." Marie took a hold of his arm, guiding Kai away from the side of the pool, using her free hand to wave.

He really wasn't going to talk to her? To give her any kind of response? He'd just let Marie carry him away?

"See you later, Bonbon," Marie said, imitating the friendly use of nickname, flashing a passing smile.

Bonnie waited, expecting Kai to wrench himself free and run back to her arms, kiss away the fretting of the last twelve hours and set them back on the rails.

_That's that kind of shit that happened in fairytales._

And as life would have it, and in spite of her weeks cooped in medieval land – this wasn't one.

* * *

"We should stop meeting like this," Someone else interjected from behind her.

_The guy from the door._

"I thought you could use a drink."

Bonnie automatically took the glass from him, lifting it to her lips, sniffing the contents, pausing with sudden awareness of all the horror stories that surrounded campus life.

"Thanks," she mumbled without taking a sip, moving to collect her shoes and to head toward the house.

He followed, falling into step behind her, going so far as to join her on her road to self-destruction.

Road that came with a lot of booze and even more tears.


End file.
